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New Rider, need advice on getting a bike to ride from west coast to east coast

My only real piece of advice---

Take your time on the trip. If you need a break take it. If you are falling asleep pull off the road and take a nap. If you are too cold stop at a McDonald's and have a coffe or soda. Take pictures. Don't set artificial and arbitrary deadlines -- don't say "I have to make it to make it from Denver to Omaha today no matter what."

Avoid a lot of night riding due I animals. Avoid heavy traffic areas - don't ride through Chicago, for example.


Good luck to you, and get some miles in before the trip.
 
Z3n said:
This fucking place.
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:laughing Yeah I know...

But it's OK. OP is gonna do some riding. It just won't be in circles. He'll figure out, maybe with some help from us, what works and what doesn't. MSF will teach him the basics so he's probably not gonna ride into oncoming traffic or off a cliff. There will be hotels and food and repair shops and Wal-Marts along the way, it's not the wilds of Africa or anything.
 
sanjuro said:
I hate to give this kind of advice but you probably should rethink riding across the country.

.....

I would probably just focus on being a safe rider in the next few years.
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Ditto.
Although I did a group ride to Swan Hills, Alberta from Oakland a few months after I got my first bike. (a '59 BMW R50) Not that it was a good idea, but I was riding with 3 other, more experienced idiots. We only had about 8 break downs, 2 crashes, one arrest, and were caught in late season snow storm in the middle of BF Egypt (Northern Alberta is called "the bush" for a good reason).
I guess I would do it again, under the same circumstances. (but when you are 16 years old you'll do anything if you can get away with it)
 
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Stormy said:
Hey guys,

The title says it - I want to do a ride from California to New York in August. I need a lot of advice so let me give a quick background of myself.

mid 20s
Born and raised San Jose
Currently in Santa Monica
Never rode a street bike, but used to dirt bike when I was younger
I currently do NOT have a bike (this is another aspect I need your help on)
I am going to a MSF class next week to begin getting my license

So I guess let's start with the obvious - what bikes would you recommend for this trek? I plan on buying a bike and then selling it once I end in New York and fly back home. I don't want to spend too much, <$3,000 (changed this from 2,000). I'm on the assumption that a more expensive bike would be harder to sell given the lack of time in NY. 3 weeks total Cali to NY.

The route is something I am going to dive into on a different thread I saw. But any tips would be appreciated!

I really just want this to be an open conversation. Safety tips, personal stories and opinions/advice on the trip. What to bring and what to hold off on.

Bike and biking gear are my main concern. Everything else will hopefully fall into place.

Thanks in advance!
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Well, for one OP - you have definitely received a lot of advice here. I completely agree with Z3n on all his comments, he stole the words out of my mouth.

What makes many members tell you not to do it is based upon the only information you have supplied us. You have created a discussion that is way too open ended, alarming us that you have not done your homework (irregardless of your riding capabilities or physical condition). You have not even mentioned what your preference is; sport bike, cruiser, dual sport, enduro that makes many of us come to the conclusion you are starting off at square one (I don't care how many dirt miles you put on).

Many claim they rode dirt when they were younger (generally, people who rode will tell you what kind of bike they had, if they entered races, the thrill of riding). You failed to mention any of these topics, so to some of us you could've went out with a best friend and had an hour under your belt.

I would agree, this is not the kind of adventure you just pick up and shoot in the dark with. If you do commence, please factor in time to either take a day off or do some light sightseeing. 3,000 miles in 3 weeks is roughly 1000 miles for 7 days. 1000/7 is about 225 miles with gas trips, food, hotel, etc. Imagine riding for 5 hours a day. Have you ever experienced saddle soreness? Have you rode a mtb or road bike for more than 4 hrs?

Now imagine you come across the great Rockies or the Grand Canyon. Anytime spent off the bike is another hour added to your entire day. . . remember, you want it to be an Adventure, not a Mission.

Lastly, it's not about the bike you buy, but actually your knowledge on how to prep and repair it. Have you ever driven through the mid-west? You can go 50-75 miles between road stops and not see anyone. Do you know what size your oil drain bolt will be? Do you know how to patch tires? Not to be on the conservative side but if you only have 2k for a bike, I'd be more concerned about the money you have for emergencies or contingency planning. What will you do when a mechanic says you need a valve job = totaling $400?

Good luck!
 
rodr said:
You'll have some challenges either way. Trying to sell a bike with out-of-state registration in a hurry from your hotel room may not be easy.

I'd say look at various options and stay flexible. Get into a couple of moto forums in the NY area, make some friends, look for opportunities. Riders do look out for each other. Maybe someone wants a particular kind of bike and would buy it from you when you get there. Maybe someone wants to ride it back for you. Maybe someone with a good rep over there has a good deal on a bike you want and you could afford to own two bikes for a short time. Also shipping cross-country might turn out to be affordable.

Good luck with whatever you do, and have fun!
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Thanks for the advice. Your second paragraph is what I intend on doing. I plan on craigslisting the bike a month prior of touring. I will inform them that I am coming from Cali and expect to get there at X date and so on and so forth. Once I have 5-10 interested buyers I will keep in touch with them at the beginning of the trip and throughout. And when I get to NY I will have no problem selling. :) Very good point on looking into other message boards in NY. That could be a huge plus!

I. Love. The. Advice. GENTS!

Thank you all!

I said eff it and took the written/classroom MSF test yesterday and have the riding test this weekend. I am really interested in a Vstar or a Shadow. One of these might be a winner. I see some around my range ($2,500 - $3,500). If I can achieve full payback of my bike (or close to it) I don't mind spending a bit more. Bike coming soon... but the real importance is preparing. I am not taking preparation lightly. I'm a cyclist and ride every day... I know how crazy the rodes can be even on a 12lb aluminum stick. Safety is number one. With that, I am ensuring that all my i's get dotted and t's get crossed.
 
You should realize that cruisers aren't actually comfortable for a large portion of the population.

Also uh, highly unlikely you're going to have 5-10 buyers lined up for your bike unless you're listing it for 500 bucks and if you're listing it for 500 bucks, then it'll sell instantly regardless.

A much better way to do it is to buy the bike over there but I wouldn't recommend that for a new rider.

Get through the riding portion of the class and go test ride as many bikes as you can get your hands on, if you're going to commit to riding one across the country.
 
NoTraffic said:
Well, for one OP - you have definitely received a lot of advice here. I completely agree with Z3n on all his comments, he stole the words out of my mouth.

What makes many members tell you not to do it is based upon the only information you have supplied us. You have created a discussion that is way too open ended, alarming us that you have not done your homework (irregardless of your riding capabilities or physical condition). You have not even mentioned what your preference is; sport bike, cruiser, dual sport, enduro that makes many of us come to the conclusion you are starting off at square one (I don't care how many dirt miles you put on).

Many claim they rode dirt when they were younger (generally, people who rode will tell you what kind of bike they had, if they entered races, the thrill of riding). You failed to mention any of these topics, so to some of us you could've went out with a best friend and had an hour under your belt.

I would agree, this is not the kind of adventure you just pick up and shoot in the dark with. If you do commence, please factor in time to either take a day off or do some light sightseeing. 3,000 miles in 3 weeks is roughly 1000 miles for 7 days. 1000/7 is about 225 miles with gas trips, food, hotel, etc. Imagine riding for 5 hours a day. Have you ever experienced saddle soreness? Have you rode a mtb or road bike for more than 4 hrs?

Now imagine you come across the great Rockies or the Grand Canyon. Anytime spent off the bike is another hour added to your entire day. . . remember, you want it to be an Adventure, not a Mission.

Lastly, it's not about the bike you buy, but actually your knowledge on how to prep and repair it. Have you ever driven through the mid-west? You can go 50-75 miles between road stops and not see anyone. Do you know what size your oil drain bolt will be? Do you know how to patch tires? Not to be on the conservative side but if you only have 2k for a bike, I'd be more concerned about the money you have for emergencies or contingency planning. What will you do when a mechanic says you need a valve job = totaling $400?

Good luck!
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Just to fix the math - 1000/7 = 142 miles a day.

Good points and don't want to shed on all of it but like I said on my latest post. I cycle - road 60 miles the other weekend. That was about 5-6 hours.
I ride everyday to and from work... minimal miles but its everyday. Another thing I should probably note is I rode a motorcycle in Bali when I was traveling out there 2 years ago (totally forgot to mention this earlier)... 3 days continuous riding. It was seriously no biggie in terms of length but it was 3-5 hours a day on that. Comfy too.

Again this is important to me and yes I still need to account for the trip details (routes, sight seeing, camping etc.). And I will. I'm going to do this right, not on a whim.
 
Stormy said:
I am really interested in a Vstar or a Shadow. One of these might be a winner. I see some around my range ($2,500 - $3,500). If I can achieve full payback of my bike (or close to it) I don't mind spending a bit more. Bike coming soon...
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If you list a bike worth $3k for $500 below market value, it will sell in a day or three on CL. As Z3n said, you're not going to be able to have buyers lined up ahead of time. Just accept that you're going to take a bit of a hit on the resale in exchange for a quick sale. Losing $500 on a bike that you're going to do a x-country adventure on isn't a bad deal.
 
sckego said:
If you list a bike worth $3k for $500 below market value, it will sell in a day or three on CL. As Z3n said, you're not going to be able to have buyers lined up ahead of time. Just accept that you're going to take a bit of a hit on the resale in exchange for a quick sale. Losing $500 on a bike that you're going to do a x-country adventure on isn't a bad deal.
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Agreed.
 
I'm re-adjusting the math mileage because no one has even mentioned you getting a GPS, SPOT, let alone panniers.

I would also envision spending another hour up and down a boulevard trying to find the cheapest hotel.

It's just too easy to be on the defensive about such a proposal with little insight. It's good to know you go cycling, I ride as well but the exhaustion on a motorcycle is much more mind numbing - anyone without a cruise control or crampbuster will testify.
 
Do you know any people in the middle of the country? Aunts, college roommates, old friends? Go see them. Especially if they're a good detour. Crash on their couch. Have a home cooked meal. Bring a gift and do dishes. Spend 2 or 3 nights with them if they'll have you.

Plan to spend more time off the bike than on. That sounds counterintuitive, but when you've been on the road a week,you'll probably welcome a familiar face (I think this is more try traveling by moto than by car, maybe that's just me?).

Pad out your trip schedule accordingly.
 
Terrible idea. I'm all about adventure but this is a terrible idea. I would trust everyone saying 'do it' to do it because they have tens or hundreds of thousands of miles experience. There's a ton of people Id trust to sail across an ocean in a small sailboat, but I wouldn't try it on a boat I just bought 30 minutes after my 'Intro to sailing' course
 
^op has 4 months to get a half dozen overnight / long weekends away on the bike and log 5k miles with some supplementary training (road rider 2, Alameda county sheriff, etc).

If he can do all that, I'd say he'll have a better idea of how ready (or not) he is than anyone could ever impress upon him.
 
flying_hun said:
The OP is planning to take 3 weeks to do the trip. THREE - EFFING - WEEKS! He won't have to do 500 miles days. He won't have to slab. He could ride section roads across the plains. He could ride tiny roads once he gets out of town.
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To clarify... I wasn't suggesting that he do 500 mile days on the trip. I just recommended some long day weekend trips before the cross-country. Get a sense of what several long days in the saddle are like before doing 21 of them, and gather some riding experience ahead of time. As for me... I wouldn't do 500 on the trip; I wouldn't even plan to do 400 more than a few times. Doesn't leave time to stop and smell the roses.

And if he's off the slab for much of it, there will surely be some 300 and 400 mile days. The 3 weeks to get there and back, right?
 
Z3n said:
The thing is - what you just said isn't at all what you said initially. I totally agree with all of the things you've listed. But that's not "the bike is the least important thing in the set"...the bike is only the least important thing to you, because
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Well, I dunno if it's different or just more detail. The thread title is "advice on getting a bike to ride..." I'm merely trying to suggest (as a few others have) that it can be done, and has been done on every fashion of bike that someone here will say is unfit for the purpose. You know what you like for long hauls, and it's different from what I like. It's doubtful that the OP will develop a keen sense of his preferences in 3 months of riding. Therefore, any advice won't be all that relevant before the trip. That's all I'm saying. Never said bike choice isn't relevant, just that it's not as important as many of the questions he didn't ask. :cool :ride
 
Tharkûn said:
Terrible idea. I'm all about adventure but this is a terrible idea. I would trust everyone saying 'do it' to do it because they have tens or hundreds of thousands of miles experience. There's a ton of people Id trust to sail across an ocean in a small sailboat, but I wouldn't try it on a boat I just bought 30 minutes after my 'Intro to sailing' course
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Sailing isn't remotely like riding a bike.

Sailing problems:

Navigation...no problem on a road.
Food and supplies...there are stores.
If the boat breaks, you drown...if the bike breaks, you walk and take something else home.
Most people have no experience doing something like sailing...most people know exactly like what rolling down a road is like.
 
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